Production of alkylaromatic compounds

Abstract

A process for producing an alkylaromatic compound comprises providing a first feed comprising an alkylatable aromatic compound and a second feed comprising an alkylating agent, wherein at least the first feed contains an impurity compound comprising at least one of nitrogen, halogens, oxygen, sulfur, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, and Group 1 through Group 12 metals The first feed is passed through an adsorbent comprising a metal-organic framework material under conditions effective to reduce the amount of impurity compound in the first feed and produce a purified first feed. The purified first feed and at least part of the second feed are then contacted with an alkylation catalyst composition under alkylation conditions effective to convert at least part of the alkylatable aromatic compound in the purified first feed to the desired alkylaromatic compound and produce an alkylation effluent.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for producing an alkylaromatic compound, the process comprising:
 (a) providing a first feed comprising an alkylatable aromatic compound and a second feed comprising an alkylating agent, wherein at least the first feed contains an impurity compound comprising at least one of the following elements: nitrogen, halogens, oxygen, sulfur, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, and Group 1 through Group 12 metals; 
 (b) passing the first feed through an adsorbent comprising a metal-organic framework material under conditions effective to reduce an amount of impurity compound in the first feed and produce a purified first feed; and 
 (c) contacting the purified first feed and at least part of the second feed with an alkylation catalyst composition under alkylation conditions effective to convert at least part of the alkylatable aromatic compound in the purified first feed to the alkylaromatic compound and produce an alkylation effluent. 
 
     
     
       2. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the second feed also contains an impurity compound comprising at least one of the following elements: nitrogen, halogens, oxygen, sulfur, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, and Group 1 through Group 12 metals and the process further comprises:
 (d) passing the second feed through an adsorbent comprising a metal-organic framework under conditions effective to reduce an amount of impurity compound in the second feed and produce a purified second feed; and 
 (e) supplying the purified second feed to the contacting (c). 
 
     
     
       3. The process of  claim 2 , wherein the adsorbent that the first feed passes through and the adsorbent that the second feed passes through is the same. 
     
     
       4. The process of  claim 2 , wherein the adsorbent that the first feed passes through and the adsorbent that the second feed passes through is the same, and the first feed and the second feed are passed simultaneously through the adsorbent. 
     
     
       5. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the alkylatable aromatic compound comprises benzene. 
     
     
       6. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the alkylating agent comprises ethylene. 
     
     
       7. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the alkylating agent comprises propylene and/or isopropanol. 
     
     
       8. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the impurity compound contains nitrogen and/or oxygen. 
     
     
       9. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the metal-organic framework material has a MIL-100 structure. 
     
     
       10. The process of  claim 9 , wherein the metal of the metal-organic framework material comprises iron, vanadium and/or chromium. 
     
     
       11. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the alkylatable aromatic compound is at least partly in a liquid phase in the contacting (c). 
     
     
       12. The process of  claim 1 , wherein the alkylation catalyst composition comprises a zeolite selected from the group consisting of ZSM-5, beta, faujasite, mordenite and a zeolite of the MCM-22 family. 
     
     
       13. A system for producing an alkylaromatic compound, the catalyst system comprising:
 (a) a first bed comprising an adsorbent for contacting a first feed comprising an alkylatable aromatic compound containing an impurity compound comprising at least one of the following elements: nitrogen, halogens, oxygen, sulfur, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, and Group 1 through Group 12 metals under conditions effective to reduce an amount of impurity compound in the first feed and produce a purified first feed, wherein the adsorbent comprises a metal-organic framework material; and 
 (b) a second bed downstream of, and connected to, the first bed for contacting the purified first feed with a second feed comprising an alkylating agent under alkylation conditions effective to convert at least part of the alkylatable aromatic compound in the purified first feed to the alkylaromatic compound and produce an alkylation effluent, wherein the second bed comprises an alkylation catalyst composition comprising a zeolite selected from the group consisting of beta, faujasite, mordenite and a zeolite of the MCM-22 family. 
 
     
     
       14. The catalyst system of  claim 13 , wherein the metal-organic framework material has MIL-100 structure. 
     
     
       15. The catalyst system of  claim 14 , wherein the metal of the metal-organic framework material comprises iron, vanadium and/or chromium.